Take My Hand Tonight
by summerlove12
Summary: Isabella and Nick could not be from more different worlds but something, their dreams, their need for a true definition of love, draws them close together until their worlds clash and they meet. Can one phone call really change their lives? Mainly NickXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, here's my first fanfiction!**

**This chapter is **_**really**_** heavy on Isabella (the main character)and what she's going through right now but don't worry, the Jonas Brothers are coming soon! (say…next chapter or so?) Alright I hope you guys like it! Don't forget to review!**

**And if I continue with this story, the chapters will definitely not be this long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jonas Brothers! The story and everyone else are mine though.**

**So here it is:**

**Take My Hand Tonight**** by summerlove12**

**Chapter 1****:**

I lay there, on the grass, its green fingers tickling my hair. I breathe in and out, waiting for my heart to finally reach its normal heart rate. I look up at the midnight blue sky. The stars wink at me and I locate the massive Orion, the archer watching over me.

I breathe out a thousand sighs. I didn't know what else to do; I had already locked myself in my room and cried for hours, the remnants of my tears still linger on my pale face. I screamed into my pillow for about another half an hour until my voice grew hoarse. I finally did the last and perhaps most comforting thing I knew how to do: I ran. No I didn't run away from home, I am not that kind of person. I laced my runners and ran….basically everywhere. To my old elementary school, along a pretty meadow, across a high school's football field. I ran until my lungs ached and my mouth was parched, until my body was filled with cold sweat but my face felt hot. And now here I am. At the playground, the little park I grew up playing at. My second home, where I go to think.

I've liked him since junior high. I was such a dork back then. So was he. But back then, everyone were dorks. It was the first time I experienced love, or something like it. We went to the same public school; I was the new kid, totally shy and afraid to make new friends and he was Mr. Popular, always hanging out with the cool kids and though he was never the one to say whatever was on his mind like some of his friends, whenever he said something, everyone craned in to listen to him. Whatever he said had depth to it, be it a witty joke or a serious comment. He was beautiful in my eyes.

Then I left my comfortable public school and for an all girls private school. He did the same and now attends the McConnor School for Boys, which just so happens to be the brother school of the Dovaine School for Girls, my school. Our schools are constantly ranked number one in the country and our courses are rigorous. It is very like our kind of schools to attempt to breed a race of super humans ready to take on whatever life WHACKS at us. We attend the same school as some of the wealthiest and smartest kids in the nation, thanks to mommy and daddy's bank account (the tuition fee ain't all that cheap) and grouping all of us "kinds" of people into school like these, our schools have instilled into every one of us, even the dumbest ones, intelligence, wit and flair, not to mention style, grace and an air of _je ne sais quoi_. And of course, incredibly high expectations, stubbornness and arrogance. Well to some of us. We are _la crème de la crème_. Think Gossip Girls meets the Suburbs. Obviously Jake, my first crush from Junior High, changed. He made his new school's football team and was immediately welcomed into the 'It" crowd. I took my time and chose my friends more carefully and wasn't so quick to judge people. As a result, I am basically friends with everyone at my school, teachers (dare I admit this?) and students alike love me and I adore my choice group of best friends. But like I said, Jake changed. His smile still makes my heart beat faster and whenever I see him, my palms immediately get all sweaty. He is still perfect in everyway but he has slowly become cocky and arrogant and those two attitudes alone ate his old self up. Obviously, being the incredibly shy girl I am (well shy just in front of him I guess, it was another thing he had, this power to render me speechless), I never said more than 5 sentences to him whenever I saw him. But there was this tension between us; this delicious tension that he and I sensed whenever we were near. I guess he grew tired of waiting though because he hooked up with my ex-best friend, another girl who used to go to a public school and somehow ended up into this prestigious game of high school.

And now here we are.

I held out everything for him, for just a chance with him. That's why today, I asked him to go to prom with me. I know, I know, it was out of the blue and random but I didn't know he had a girlfriend then (or rather, a Girl-I-Like-To-Fuck).

"Wow Isabella, I didn't know you felt this way about me. I'm sorry but whatever feelings I had for you died a long time ago. Heck Is, we never even talk anymore!"

I made up some random excuse about what I joker I was and that I was just kidding. Laugh. Out. Loud. But I wasn't laughing, nor was I kidding. I meant it.

I guess I've known it for a long time. I never truly loved him. And while on the outside I was fighting, screaming and cursing at him, on the inside, I was fighting, screaming and cursing at myself for not having realised this sooner, for wasting 3 years of my life on this dick and to finally realising at grade 12, age 17 that I was too good for him…or the other way around.

I didn't know what I was thinking when I called the Jonas Brother's phone number. Their number was posted on their myspace and I honestly didn't think anyone would answer. It couldn't possibly be their real phone number. Perhaps a middle-aged woman the boys employed to soothe crazy fan girls would answer. I frowned, I'm not a crazy fan girl. Don't get me wrong, I love their music. I guess I was just sick of my life. Sick or mourning over a guy I never had, sick of being the "good girl" with the straight A's (I already got accepted into my top university, coincidentally the top university of the nation), sick of pleasing everyone, sick of my parents who seem to care only for my grades and who nag, nag, nag, sick of living in the suburbs, in exactly the same house, street, area I have lived in my whole entire life. Plus, dedicating all my time to my family, my friends, school and all my thoughts to Jake, I was really in need of a different perspective on life, namely guy friends, of which I had none. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of rich, smart, pretty boys from McConnor's that yearn for my attention. I just don't have the time to lavish it on them, nor the want to. Like I said, I was saving my first everythings for Jake: first boyfriend, first kiss, first _love_.

So when I called the Jonas Brothers, I wasn't calling to complain about my life or lack thereof, but out of a need to do something spontaneous and completely irresponsible (yeah, this is my idea of wild). Deep down I guess I hoped that I could somehow find someone who cares for me, not like my parents who only seem to care for my grades, nor my best friends who I just…need a break from, a different perspective. Definitely not like Jake whose friendship I guess was not reciprocal. I was not even asking for love. Just a bit of compassion. I still didn't expect anyone to pick up though.

I took a deep breath. I was humouring myself, that was it, I told myself. I dialled the number and after a few rings, someone answered the phone:

"Hello?" asked the receiver in a low but boyish voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I've decided to continue with this story! Yay!**** Thanks guys for the reviews! I'm not being sarcastic here, the 2 reviews ACTUALLY made my day! TWO whole people actually like my writing enough to tell me that they like it!! How cool is that? Anyway, I'm making Miley look kind of bad in this fanfic just because I don't want her to get in the way of anything. Remember guys: I'm hating on the character, not the real person. I really hope you guys like how this story is shaping up! I'm open to ****any**** suggestions so leave comments on what you liked/didn't like. Share the love and review!**

**Oh and the Jonas Brothers are**** their real ages in this fanfic: Nick is 15, Joe is 18 and Kevin is 20 (Isabella is 17). And I lied about the whole "the next chapters are going to be shorter than the first chapter" thing. I don't think I can make short chapters and still fit everything in. We'll see though, there's going to be a range.**

**By the way, I'm sorry if my writing isn't scholarly enough (or as much as the first chapter?) in this chapter and probably in all of the next chapters. It's just hard to personify, juxtapose, be especially descriptive and write with incredible ingenuity when I'm writing about teenage relationships.**

**So, w****ithout further ado, here it is:**

**Chapter 2:**

_I took a deep breath. I was humouring myself, that was it, I told myself. I dialled the number and after a few rings, someone answered the phone:_

"_Hello?" asked the receiver in a low but boyish voice._

Nick's POV:

The guys and I have been on the road for what seems like forever now. From touring with Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus to wrapping up the When You Look Me In the Eyes tour two days ago, we were all exhausted and ready to go home. To ease back into life, our whole family (mom, dad and Frankie have been travelling with us on the huge tour bus) have decided to make a huge detour and drive around half of the country, stopping at various locations (DISNEYLAND ANYONE?!), performing at a handful of concerts and appearing at a few interviews, before we arrive back home in New Jersey. It will be our last vacation for a long time and we were very excited. The route was undetermined, the plans were still unmade: we were just going to drift aimlessly back home. This vacation was going to be the epitome of lazy, relaxing family road trips. Ahh! Utter paradise!

Dozens of magazines were sprawled all over the floor of our tour bus. Popstar Magazine keeps on sending us their issues with pictures of us sprawled all over the front covers. It's quite embarrassing actually. I lazily pick an issue off of the floor. It screamed "NICK AND MILEY…TOGETHER?!" I sighed and threw it back on the floor, shoving it under my bunk. The rumours of Miley and I are ridiculous. She and I are just friends and will always be _just_ friends. True, I thought of going out with her before, especially since I knew she had a massive crush on me, but her wacky attitude and her unnerving carefree attitude towards everything under the sun turned me off. Besides, I look for intelligent girls with whom I can have deep conversations with. Miley was just not into that kind of stuff.

But…I don't know. I sometimes wish that the rumours were true. It's not like I have feelings for Miley, because I don't. I just wish I had someone, a girlfriend perhaps who I could talk to. I guess I'm kind of lonely. I mean, my brothers and I are the best of friends and we share everything. But with them, the attention is divided. Plus, I never get to share anything new with them, they've already been there, and done that. I guess I just need someone to hold, to listen to, and to stare at.

That's another thing: I have habit of reading people by staring into their eyes. I guess it may seem creepy at times, depends on how you look at it. But that's why I'm so quiet all the time; I'm too busy reading people, trying to feel their pain, their joy, their anger.

People say that I'm shy too. I don't know, I used to be very extroverted. I would belt out my songs in my young effeminate voice and I loved interviews. I don't know what happened though. My life changed so quickly, I recorded my first song with my brothers, went on tour, got diagnosed with diabetes, hoped back up and sold a million albums, and then toured, toured and toured. My life immediately became saturated with hype and I guess instead of blurting out everything that came into my mind, I just internalised my thoughts. Yeah that's me the silent man. The silent hunter. The stoic man of mystery. Oh yeah.

The stoic, _lonely_ man of mystery. This sucks.

I guess I care too much, I'm too sensitive (it takes a real manly man to admit this, you hear?) to changes and comments. That's why I keep my mouth shut.

* * *

It's already 12:15 pm and the whole bus is quiet. Its Big Rob's turn to drive the bus tonight and he's driving it at a slow and leisurely pace since we're by the country side. Joe snores quietly on the bunk bed on top of me. I wish I could wake him up and talk to him. Or Kevin. They understand this lonely spell I'm going through. I feel kind of pathetic. I sometimes wish I could escape from this rock star persona for a little while. I mean, I absolutely adore playing in front of crowds and music is my life. But sometimes I wonder…

I close the curtains of the bottom bunk so that I'm shut off from the rest of the bus. It's just me and the window beside my bed. It's raining outside and I press the side of my head to the window, listening to the steady tap-tap-tap of the raindrops, dancing on the window.

All of a sudden, my phone rings.

"Abra-abra-cadabra, I wanna reach out and grab ya…"

I immediately lunged for it before my phone wakes everyone up, but not before looking at the caller id. It wasn't someone I recognized.

"Hello?" I asked, tentatively.

"Oh…..no….shoot someone actually answered! I am so embarrassed!"

She seemed to be talking to herself.

I cleared my throat. "Um…hello?"

"Um…HI! I'm so so so so so sorry! I won't call again! I'm just going to go now. Have a nice night! Thank you! Please fly again!"

"Wait wait wait, who is this? Is this some sort of prank?"

Over at Isabella's house, Isabella was perched on her bed; her cheeks were growing redder by the second. Scratch that, by the millisecond.

"I'm sorry one-of-the-Jonas-Brothers! I should never have called! I was just thinking…never mind. I bet you guys get a lot of these calls all the time from crazy fan girls slash stalkers. But I'm not one! At least I hope not. Listen, I'm wasting your minutes right now so I'm just going to hang up"

"Wait, no. Don't go"

Actually, no one actually called us ever since we posted our phone number on our myspace page. It was a reverse psychology kind of thing; everyone thought it was a hoax. Props to Kevin for coming up with it.

But if I said "don't go, I'm Nick Jonas", that will probably scare her and make her hang up. And that's the last thing I want her to do. In the seconds it took for her to mumble an apology and frantically cover her embarrassment, I knew that this girl was my angel, the voice on the other line, sent to pull me out of this self-destructing cycle of misery and loneliness I have been experiencing for the past few months. She sounded so hopeful but so shy and embarrassed too. Her voice sounded almost familiar; there was a note of desperation in her voice that I recognized in my own, a desperate need to find someone to love and to love you. In the 10 seconds that I had been on the phone with her, I felt like I already knew her. And I was sure now that I can not lose her. One wrong word and she could hang up and this closeness, the closest I've ever felt to anyone for a long time, will be gone, her phone number was untraceable because her number isn't stored in my phone's phone book.

I took a deep breathe, preparing my lie.

"Wait, no. Don't go. This isn't the Jonas Brothers, sorry to disappoint you. I get a lot of calls everyday from girls like you thinking I'm one of the brothers but sadly I'm not. Don't worry though I'm pretty sure you're not crazy, though if you keep on talking this quickly, you might want to look into checking into a mental facility."

There was silence on the other line.

"I was just kidding…I'm sorry are you still there? Oh no I'm so sorry! I was just kidding!!" Nick's heart stopped, he thought he lost her.

**(A/N Okay i'm switiching to third person now. its just too confusing if i want to do a bit of third person but still keep it Nick's POV)**

But from the other side of the line came a laugh. It started out in little ripples of giggles and spiraled into waves of outright laughter.

She has the cutest laugh. Nick thought. So genuine.

Isabella laughed, out of relief and self-mockery. She was so high-strung! It was the most she had laughed for months. And Oh! It felt so good! There was something about this whole experience that was so hysterical!

"Hi, I'm Isabella. I'm sorry for waking you up! Wait what time is it wherever you're at?" Isabella glanced at her clock. It read 10:28 pm.

"Oh its fine. It's actually 12:30 at night right now but I wasn't sleeping or anything. I'm James. James Bond. Um yeah…that's my real name. My parents had a laugh naming me that. Now, I'm just stuck with it." Wow I'm so bad at this. She must think I'm a freak by now.

Isabella giggled.

Again with that cute laugh of hers. Nick smiled just knowing he made her laugh.

"Alright, Mr. Bond. Should I be afraid? Were you sent by the agency to track me down? I swear I only accidentally-on purpose spilt orange juice on my cranky neighbor's tulips once. They probably wilted because of their grouchy old cat's hyperactive bladder and love for marking its territory everywhere. Okay, okay maybe twice. You caught me."

Nick laughed at her quick wit. Man this girl can really bounce back!

"Hahah well Belle, I guess I can let you off with a warning this time."

Isabella's cheeks flushed at the mention of the nickname he called her. No one ever called her that. Belle. She liked that.

Joe stirred on the bunk on top of Nick's.

"Nick? Dude, are you talking to yourself down there?"

Nick kicked Joe's bunk. A soft grunt was Joe's response.

"Go to sleep Joe, you're just dreaming."

"Yeah…dreaming…mmmm…girls…." mumbled Joe and continued to snore.

"Um…what was that?" Isabella asked

"Oh just…never mind. Listen Belle, I got to go before I wake anyone else up. But I'll talk to you later…?" Nick asked hopefully. This was his chance. He needed to get to know this strange, wonderful girl.

"Yeah sure…I'd like that." Isabella replied shyly.

They exchanged phone numbers.

"Goodnight James."

"Sweet dreams, Belle."

Nick hung up, and slept with one of those half-smiles he does so well plastered on his face. **(A/N: you guys know what I'm talking about right? That SUPER CUTE half-smile he has?! Sigh, it makes me melt every time!)**

Isabella sighed, one of those happy sighs, filled with new expectancy and hope. She could feel it. This was the start of something new. She felt just like Gabriella when she first met Troy in High School musical. She bit her bottom lip. It felt so right talking to James! Under their witty banter, was this unspoken conversation they had. A conversation filled with flirty signals and a shared comfortableness. She had felt so comfortable talking to James. His soft words wrapped around her, providing a shield against any negative thoughts her boring pessimistic life tried to swing at her. She sighed back again and she flopped back on her bed, with his voice _"Sweet dreams, Belle"_ echoing inside her dreams.

Both Nick and Isabella fell asleep with the same question in their heads: Were they falling in love with a stranger?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Alright I know that I haven't written in a while (more like a month) and I'm SO sorry for that! I just wasn't feeling very motivated :( UNTIL I read some AMAZING stories some of you guys wrote. I don't understand how you guys can have so many ideas and basically spin such interesting stories out of…nothing! Well not nothing…the Jonas Brothers are quite the inspiration ;).**

**By the way, I don't know if you guys noticed or not but I changed the story summary.**

**Alright, here y'all go: (hope you like it!)**

**Chapter 3:**

_Both Nick and Isabella fell asleep with the same question in their heads: Were they falling in love with a stranger?_

Isabella woke up with a smile on her face. Thoughts of last night were still fresh in her mind as she sat up and stretched her arms. James, James, James. The name sounded so right on her lips, like she was kissing the air every time she whispered it under her breath. James. He made her wake up feeling beautiful. Like the name he called her, Belle.

Taking one last yawn, Isabella stretched, bounced on her bed a couple of times, and then stood up to get ready for school. She brushed her long smooth brown/black hair out of her face and slipped her contacts in. Isabella is mixed, she got her dark hair, lithe body and grace from her mother's Chinese background and her ruby red lips, athleticism and humor from her father's white side. She was, in a word, beautiful; her background gave her the best characteristics from both worlds though she was incredibly down to earth and modest. Her mixed background made her look almost like Angelina Jolie, but her features were softer and her eyes were dark brown with flecks of gold. And she looked part oriental, not part whatever Angelina is.

She actually never really realized how beautiful she actually is and though she constantly attracts a large number of boy's attention, her shyness and her oblivion towards this attention leaves boys hanging, unable to pursue her further.

Happy with her hair, Isabella started on her uniform. There were her black tights, her white polo, her plaid skirt and the best part: her soft white cashmere sweater with her school's emblem on the left. She picked up her favorite necklace, the one she wore every day: a vintage gold necklace with a tiny ballerina pendant holding an even tinier pearl. She tied her dark brown hair up into a high ponytail and swept her side bangs to the side, adding a thin gold hair band. There, Perfect. It was a chilly morning, with the sun just peeking out of the clouds. Isabella kissed her mom goodbye, grabbed her backpack, lunch and an apple and was out the door in 15 minutes flat. Girls gotta catch her bus ride (and the cute starbucks worker who only works in the early mornings)!

Sipping her hot chocolate that she bought from Starbucks, Isabella started to walk the last half block to school. It was annoying really, the only starbucks within walking distance (walking in heels distance of course) was right smack between McConnor's and Dovaine Academy. Actually it was pretty smart of the owners, they got plenty of business from students from both schools, it was the meeting place, lounge area for both schools. She just hoped she wouldn't bump into Jake…the day after he rejected her. Talk about awkward.

Talk about Murphy's Law.

"Perfect, he's here" Isabella thought. "And I was so close too, I just left Starbucks."

"Hey Is." Jake called out, flashing that radiating smile of his with a half sneer, almost like he was taunting her. "hey about last night…look, I know you wanted me to go with you but I'm already going with Alex."

**(AN: Isabella's thoughts are in **_**italics**_**)**

_Alex, or Alexandra, his "girl-I-like-to-fuck"._

"We actually have been planning it for some time now. To tell you the truth, I don't know why you asked me, I mean it was so out of the blue."

_Okay, quite emphasizing how random it is! I get it!_

"But its for the better right? I don't think I'm your type. No that sounds wrong, you're not _my_ type. Sorry Is, I just can't see myself with you."

_Geez, its not like I asked you to marry me or anything._

Jake was making it public, his voice rose with every word he said and he glanced around, hoping to gather a crowd.

_Great, getting rejected in front of everyone I know. We were right for each other before he turned into this jerk. He knows it and I know it too. He's just changed so much. Look at how he's playing me. And all I can do is stand and gape at him. Say something Is!_

"Um, um. Okay. Um, so I'll see you later. BYE." Isabella mumbled and started running in the direction of her school. Well, as close to running as you can with a boiling hot hot chocolate in one hand and lunchbox in the other and a 50 pound backpack strapped to your back.

Jake just smiled his pitying smile and turned to laugh it off with his jock friends who were part of the crowd.

Isabella's face burned with humiliation. _Augh! It was so like him to be a jerk in front of his friends. Boy she really knew how to pick 'em._

Isabella finally huffed and puffed her way to her locker where she dumped all her stuff and dragged herself into homeroom. Her hair was disheveled, her shoes were covered in dust and her face was red. She felt hot and itchy. _Just great._

Her cell phone started buzzing and she picked it up from her pocket, it was a text message from an unknown caller.

_Unknown caller…it better not be Jake calling. Not like he would. Plus, I only like have his home and cell and probably fax number stored on my cell._

"Hey Belle! What's up? I was just thinking about you…"

_It must be James! He's the only one who calls me that._

And in the second it took for her to read that message, Isabella felt beautiful and loved.

_Man, those ellipses are so mysterious and hot!!_

"Horrible morning, though it just got a lot better :) –_Isabelle"_

"Oh yeah? Could it possibly be because of a certain good looking guy texting you? Oh and did I mention that I'm _extremely_ good looking?"

"Haha you're so full of yourself. I was thinking, how do I know you're not just an old 40 year old perv still living with his parents? –_Isabelle"_

"Did I sound like one on the phone last night? I must admit though, we're in an awfully odd predicament aren't we? I feel like I know you somehow though, Belle…"

"I feel the same way too…-_Isabelle_"

"So are you still up for that phone date we have planned tonight ? ;)"

_Date?_ Isabelle's cheeks instantly turned bright pink.

"Yeah I'll talk to you then! Gotta run, I'm going be late for my Government Politics class! -_Isabelle_"

"Alright go conquer the world! I'll be waiting for you…"

And that conversation, however brief and impersonal (heck it was over text messages!) bonded the two people all the more closely together. But could this seemingly impossible relationship last? Do they have in enough faith, in the world, in fate, to believe in each other and continue this relationship? Or will this relationship crumble after a couple of days and they never get the chance to meet each other, the person they took a chance on and reached for on a clear May night, and unexpectedly found love? (or something like it…)

**Get excited for what's to come!! Review review review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Alright I've decided to add more depth to Isabella's character. Now you guys will probably get what she was running away from in the first chapter. This chapter took me a long time to write because I wanted it to be intense and have Isabella really open up to Nick. Once again, it's really heavy on Isabella put I thought it was important to put all these details about her so that what happens to her in the story will be more meaningful. So umm…it might get a bit boring. SORRY! Plus it makes Nick and Isabella's relationship more concrete I think. Isabella AND Nick's thoughts are in italics. It'll make sense when you read it. I hope it's not too confusing with the thoughts and dialogues and narration! It probably is. Whoops.**

**Chapter 4:**

_Or will this relationship crumble after a couple of days, Isabella and Nick never getting the chance to meet each other, the person they took a chance and reached for on a clear May night, and unexpectedly found love? (or something like it…)_

Isabella was pretending to be asleep and trying hard not to listen to her parents screaming at each other. Yeah, she went to a great school and she had a decent childhood but her life was far from perfect. She hugged her soft pillow close, trying to numb her mind of the emotions that were quickly flooding her mind. Though her father used to be a successful business man, now, business was terrible and her father, feeling useless and unsuccessful went on sprees of anger, lashing out at everyone. Isabella has steadily steeled herself against these fits of anger but heck, she's only seventeen, and every girl needs her daddy. Unfortunately, this one had just changed too much.

She heard the front door slam. Her parents seemed to have noticed that they were talking louder than normal. _More like screaming louder than usual._ And decided to take their argument somewhere else. _Like I didn't hear anything._** (AN: notice how these are in italics? So these are Isabella's thoughts)**

The house was suddenly eerily quiet. Isabella wrapped her quilt around her shoulders. She didn't like this house. Her family was forced to move to this tiny house or her father would have had to declare bankruptcy. It was cold, old and creaked everywhere. The only thing she liked was the huge window beside her bed. She would spend her sleepless nights staring out this window, thankful for the light the moon cast on her otherwise dark and cold room and she would find comfort and solace in this beautiful bit of nature. The moonlight flooded the room and Isabella looked out of her huge window beside her bed, trying to calm herself down. You could say that she was scared of the dark but terrified would be a better word. But that was the last thing on her mind that night.

_I lost my real dad, the one who used to be my best friend, watched my parents' relationship crumble and now I lost Jake. Does love, the real, deep, unconditional kind of love even exist in this world? Or is that just stuff from movies?_

As if answering her question, Isabelle's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Its James."

_James, man that boy has good timing. He's always able to distract me, take me away from my messed up world._

"Hey James. Whats up?"

"Nothing much. How was your day? Hope it didn't get worse when I left you. You know, without a hot guy, aka me, texting you."

"Haha James. Real funny. I'll have you know that I have a lot of hot guys texting me, each sweeter and smoother than the last."

"Oh" Nick responded, crestfallen.

"I was just kidding! I can be funny too, you know"

Nick laughed **(AN: you guys know that cute laugh of his? Come on I know you guys youtube the Jonas Brothers like, everyday. Don't worry, I do too;) )** "Wow, that was really uh…funny..."

"Well, you know, I try. Today was the same old, I had a pop quiz in Gov. Politics, the class I had right after you texted me, and it was surprisingly easy so that was good. Other than that, nothing special. You?" _Besides my parents increasingly hostile behavior to each other but you know, everyone has to go through that right?_

"Hey you know, I must be your lucky charm!"

"Wow, hot AND lucky? I must have hit the jack pot! Who are you? Zac Efron? Jesse McCartney?"

"Nah, neither, though I must say, neither of them are good enough for you."

"Oh yeah? How do you know?"

Actually, Nick had met them at several Disney and Hollywood Records parties and though they were smooth and easy talkers, they were not good enough for Isabella who seemed so perfect and pure.

"Um…I'm a closet Popstar Magazine fan?"

"Haha! Wow, your coolness level just went down by a dozen notches."

"You've got me, my secrets out. Anyway, tell me about yourself." Nick settled lazily onto his pillow on his bunk. _I could listen to her talk all day._

"Umm…I'm not that interesting. I have brown hair, brown eyes, I'm 5'2"and I absolutely adore Baccio chocolate. My mom's Asian and my dad's white so I guess I'm a white Asian. Haha. Umm…I'm a senior at Dovaine Academy for Girls…"

"Wait so you're like…seventeen?"

"Yep…wait what grade are you in?"

Nick hesitated and then replied: "I'm actually not in a grade. I'm home-schooled." _That was close. I don't know why I don't want to tell her how old I am though. I mean, a two-year age difference doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Though it might be to her…  
_

Nick breathed a sigh of relief when Isabella did not question him any further.

_Huh, it must be hard for his parents to teach grade 12 subjects to him. I wonder if they're professors…_Isabella thought. **(AN: so Isabella assumes that Nick is as old as her)**

"And I used to have a puppy when I was a kid but then we moved and…ummm…we couldn't keep him…" Isabella's voice started to waver. _Augh I'm so pathetic, I can't believe I'm crying over some dog I used to have when I was a kid._

Nick could sense a deeper story behind the one Isabella was telling.

"sorry you don't want to listen to me complain about missing my dog…um what else? Um…I go to the Dovaine Academy…"

"it's fine, go on talk about your dog. What kind of dog was he?"

"A golden retriever"

"So…I guess he died or something?"

"Well he uh…never mind it's not interesting. And it's kind of personal, I haven't told anyone this."

"Belle, you know you can trust me"

And the way he said it, with such sincerity and kindness made Isabella open up, the first time she has ever opened up like this in front of anyone.

Isabella took a deep breath. "Alright, **I trust you**. Tanner had been my best friend since I got him when I was three. He was the best puppy you could ask for and later on, the best protector, friend and listener." Isabella faltered, wondering if she should go on. This was unfamiliar territory, she had never told this story to anyone before.

"And then my dad lost his job and after a few years we lost most of our assets and were forced to leave the home that I grew up in to this dingy hellhole. Tanner obviously couldn't come because this is a rented house and the landlord didn't allow pets. No one wanted Tanner, he was old, about twelve already and he limped. We had no choice but to put him down." Isabella stopped talking.

"Wow Belle, I'm so sorry about your dog. How is your dad though? Are you still living in the same house with the evil landlord?"

Isabella sighed. "Yeah, we are. From then on, my life just went downhill. I don't know whats wrong with my dad. He lashes out at everyone. It hurts me to see my parents going through such a rough patch in their relationship and to tell you the truth, I'm betting that a divorce is coming up. Heck I don't even know how I'm going to pay for university. I worked so hard, for twelve years of my life and finally got accepted to my ideal university and I don't even think I can go because we probably can't afford it anymore. The only reason I'm still attending Dovaine is because the school is subsidizing my education because of my good marks. And it seems trivial to even care about love right now because I don't even know if it exists. With my real dad, the one that I loved and cared about, basically gone and Jake being a jerk…"

"Uh…who's Jake?"

"This guy I _thought_ I knew…"

Nick listened to Isabella ramble about her life. It seemed like this was the first time she actually opened up to anyone and he felt special that she chose him to open up to. She talked about a guy named Jake more and then went back to her dad. This strange girl, so nice and bubbly, seemed so fragile and delicate inside. There was a certain depth to her, a certain truth and honest ring to her words muddled with feelings of desperation and frustration that Nick could identify with. In fact, he could feel himself liking her even more knowing that she was more like him than he imagined. The one thing he didn't agree with her on was her lost faith in love.

"…and I was so thrilled when I got accepted into uni but when I told my dad, he just stared at me with a glazed over look and then looked away. Guess he was drunk, again. That's when I knew that I had lost him forever. And I uh guess that's it. Are…are you still there?"

"Of course. I'll always be here to listen to you Belle. Don't forget that. Just a bit surprised that this whole conversation came out of something about your dog."

"Haha yeah. I guess this whole thing has been bugging me for like…a couple of years but I haven't been able to tell anyone. OH MY GOSH it's one o' clock already! Augh I have a speech to do tomorrow. I'm sorry I need some shut eye."

"It's alright. Same time tomorrow night?"

Isabella was surprised that he still wanted to talk to her after her ramble earlier. From then on, she knew that James was more than just a crush, a sweet, funny guy. He was a friend, more than a friend than any friend she's ever had.

"Yep I'll talk to you later"

"Goodnight Belle. Sweet dreams."

"Night James."

Nick was just about to put down the phone when…

"Oh yeah and James?"

"yeah?"

"Thanks" Isabella murmured quietly

"Anytime, Belle"

Click.


End file.
